Glow In The Dark Sharks In 'The Twilight Zone'

It's a case of show me the way to glow home as stunning images of the kite fin shark, the black belly lantern shark, and the southern lantern shark lighting up the darkness of the ocean have been captured for the first time ever.

The stunning glow in the dark sharks are the beasts at 650 - 3,200 feet as they reside in what's known as 'the twilight zone'.

It's so deep that sunlight can't reach it, meaning it is pitch black, so dark in fact that no plant life can grow. But one thing that does grow - and indeed glow - is the kite fin shark.

It can reach six feet long and is now the largest known luminous vertebrate. The luminous fish, which has no known predators, swims at around 980 feet under the sea where it hunts smaller sharks, ground fish and crustaceans.

Numerous sea creatures, such as squid and jellyfish, have glow in the dark capabilities, but this is the first time it has been noted in a shark.

Researchers believe the sharks glow for camouflage to protect against attacks from beneath .(Photograph: Jerome Mallefet)

Words Dean Newman

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